Nice projections. I still say we've yet to see the real Drew Shore here, either. If he were to be paired with Bennett, that could be fantastic for both of them and I think they would have the potential to become lethal one day. And what an opportunity this is for Sam Brittian to start the next chapter of his career. You can bet that Wade, Adam, Glen, Pete & Marc will be watching closely.

Swami's got a point about Freshman contributing early in their first year, but look at three of DU's greatest players in the last 20 years.

In their first 10 games as Pioneers:

Stastny - 2 goals, 2 assists

Carle - 1 goal, 3 assists

Bozak - 6 goals, 4 assists

Why were Bozak's numbers so good? Because he wasn't a "true freshman." He was 21 years-old and had three seasons in the BCHL under his belt.

Take a look at Zucker. Not only does he have two years in the USNDP praciticing against fantastic players every day, but he also has 20 games against some of the best players in the world in the three Junior tourneys.

Makowski was the best defenseman in the USHL last season but DU was willing to give him a scholie last season if Wiercioch has left after his Freshman year.

Bennett's numbers in the BCHL matched Bozak's numbers in his final season in the BCH.

Olszewski is going to be 21 years old this season.

Brittain is one of the six best 18 year-old goalies in the world.

Nick Shore's resume is similar to Zucker's minus the World Juniors.

These guys are the most developed and talented Freshmen DU has every had. They should be good to go right out of the gate.

I agree with DG that this is probably the most talented freshmen class DU has had, but they will be going up against a killer schedule right out of the gate. This will pay long term dividends developmentally but the very high level of competition early is going to be a be a learning experience for all of them as they adjust to the high speed of the college game as played by some of the best teams. I don't see anyone on the team (let alone a rookie) averaging a point per game against that kind of schedule early.

With Statsny and Carle both at 4 points in their first 10 games, I'd be thrilled to see any of the new DU rookies with those numbers against the toughest opening schedule in college hockey.

Too bad. Lars was a good dude. I played against him his freshman year when he skated with Angelo's team. I think that riding the pine wears on you after a while, especially when you are a competitor. Even in practices, the only time that they see any rubber is when the other two goalies get tired, and that doesn’t happen very often. Super good kid though.

DG -- Why do you think Brittain will beat out Bennet as the best freshman? As a novice hockey fan, it seems to me that Bennet's first round NHL draft pick is a great prediction for his contributions this year.

The thing that fans have to remember about Beau Bennett is that the Pittsburgh Penguins don't think that Bennentt is a better player than Kyle Ostrow or Anthony Maiani today. Its that they project Bennett to be a great NHL player five years from now. Its all based on potential.

Regarding Brittain, goaltenders get all the credit when a team wins and all the blame when they lose. If DU has a big season, I'm guessing Brittain is going to get a lot of the spotlight.

Colborne was a first round draft choice and got off to a bit of a slow start at DU. And yet, IMO, Colborne was more of a complete player than Bennett at this point of his career.

To me Zucker & Makowski are going to be the two freshmen to step in and contribute immediately.

Brittain is the wildcard. If he has a big season, DU rolls. If he struggles, it could be a frustrating year.

I like DU's chances and I think they can easily finish in the Top 3 in the WCHA and top ten in all of college hockey. But they are going to need the freshman and the goaltending to be rock solid.

So, I'm just curious as to how you came to the determination that Colborne was a more complete player prior to coming than Bennett is. Not being a dick, just curious how this assertion came to be -- nor am I saying you are wrong or anything else.

I believe that Colborne was DU's most highly touted recruit in the past 30 years.

Colborne was assumed to be a sure fire 1st round pick in the 2008 draft. He had two seasons under his belt in Camrose where his teams went deep into the playoffs and he was the major contributor.

Colborne did it all at Camrose, PP, SH, heroic goals and eventually took the Kodiaks to within one shot of winning the RBC Championship.

Bennett had an incredible season for Pentiction. But he scored over 60% of his goals on the power play and there were some questions about his all-round game. Many scouting reports said he could be anywhere from a mid-first to late 2nd round pick.

Where Colborne has size, Bennett has speed. Bennett may well end up being a better college player than Colborne. But I think the perception was/is that Colborne has more tools than Bennett at this point in his career.

Clearly Bennett is more like Tyler Bozak in stature and skills than Joe Colborne.

I thought Colborne would score 20 goals and have 20 assists as a Freshman. He ended up with 10 goals and 21 assists, so he fell short of my projections.

Well good luck to the Norwegian Nightmare then. Had the coolest hair on the team - hands down! I hate to ask this.... because I mean no disrespect to him at all.... but it's a legitimate question - is there still a chance he will help out with the George Gwozdecky Youth Hockey Camp?

Being a backup goalie is THE hardest position in any sport. Pitchers have the bullpen; Quarterbacks play "catch" on the sidelines to loosen up. Backup hockey Goalies walk into a firestorm; from sitting to playing trying to, and being extected to...dig thier team out of a hole. No warmup; a few quick stretches if they're lucky.